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Tunisia looks to strengthen US ties during visit to Washington
Tunisia said on Friday it would host the Arab summit on March 29-30, ending confusion over the venue caused by worries about simmering Arab divisions and the cost of security arrangements. The decision, announced in a government statement, followed talks in Tunis on Thursday between President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and Amr Moussa, Secretary-General of the Arab League. Also Friday, Ben Ali said he hopes to share more of his experience in fighting terrorism with US President George W. Bush when the two leaders meet next week in Washington. Tunisia, a moderate Muslim nation that has long-standing ties with the US, has become a key US ally in the global âwar on terror.â It also suffered an attack blamed on Al-Qaeda that killed 21 people in 2002. âIn all modesty, I have a lot of experience with this,â Ben Ali told The Associated Press in an interview at the presidential palace in Carthage. He also responded in writing to written questions. âI gave the first-ever report on the dangers of fundamentalism to the Tunisian government. I have been following this ever since then,â he said during the interview. Tunisia is one of the most liberal countries in the Muslim world and the one most often associated with womenâs rights. Rates of illiteracy and poverty are among the lowest in the region. But the nation is routinely criticized by human rights groups for its lack of freedom of expression and stern handling of political opponents. Ben Ali responded to this criticism by saying he is ushering in democratic reforms  but in a measured way so that extremists cannot take advantage of new freedoms.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2004-02-14 |
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